The Hong Kong-flagged, 9,400 TEU container ship Joseph Schulte, left Odessa port on Wednesday after being stranded at Odessa port for 18 months due to the ongoing war.
According to international news agencies, the departure of the ship follows Ukraine’s announcement that it will build a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to release cargo ships stuck in its ports since the start of the war.
The humanitarian corridor was introduced as an effort to ensure safe transfer in the Black sea after Russia refused to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Ukraine has just made an important step toward restoring the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. The first civilian vessel has passed through Ukraine’s new humanitarian corridor, departing from the port of Odesa. It’s currently on its way to the Bosporus.
Earlier, Ukraine…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 16, 2023
More stranded ships are expected to follow through. However, last week the Russian navy reportedly fired warning shots and boarded a cargo ship claiming to be going to Ukraine. Evidently, it is unclear if Russia will respect the corridor.
